Roselle finally spoke up. She said, “I’m sorry, but I got to knoe are going south. We didn’t really get a ce to explore the North city! You know? There might be valuable information we could find too.”

  Risebelle let out a sigh and responded, “Roselle, that’s not the point of a mission. The point is to plete the mission and move on to the locatio to the city and maroup, so it’s time to go south.”

  Runebelle made her presenown, though she didn’t speak. Instead, she tilted head slightly while drawing near her sisters.

  Kintovar took trol of the situation, saying, and “Settle down, everyohere is a reason for everything, just keep that in mind. We’re off to South Jancito, and I’ve already prepared a wardrobe ge for all of you. The enviro in the South is said to be scorg hot, so we o be ready for it.”

  The group stood on a ptform, waiting for the train to South Jancito irain station. Haras suddenly took the opportunity to position herself in front of Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle. Her hands were hidden behind her back. She leaned in closer to them with a grin.

  The three sisters exged puzzled gnces. It was clear that something was different about her behavior, but they couldn’t quite put their finger on it. The anticipation and curiosity grew. After thirty mihe train’s whistle echoed through the station, signaling its arrival.

  The group boarded the train. They caught a glimpse of a figure ehe train car. She had long violet hair adorned with golden rings and a dress that had an Arabic-style fir. Her golden eyes held a cold, heartless gaze that seemed to make everyone onboard feel uneasy about her presence.

  Mystimona, with his perceptive instincts, immediately sehat trouble might be brewing. He leaned in to Kintovar and whispered, “Kintovar, I have a bad feeling about this one. Keep an eye on her. Her presence is uling.”

  Kintovar nodded and replied, “I’ll do just that, Mystimona.”

  The group disembarked from the train. They stepped onto the ptform in South Jancito and were greeted by the vast, arid expanse of a desert town. The scorg su down upon them.

  The town itself was a colle of low, adobe-style buildings with whitewashed walls that seemed to glow iense heat.

  People moved about iown, dressed in loose clothing to bat the heat. Stalls lihe streets, a variety of goods, from vibrant fabrics to exotic spices. The sts of spices and grilled food wafted through the air.

  Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle were quick to ge into their new outfits, carefully desigo suit the scorg heat of South Jancito.

  Roselle’s tire was a blend of practicality and style. She wore a fitted, lightweight top with aric blue design, remi of her lightning powers. Her shorts were a matg shade, providing fort and freedom of movement. On her feet, she had sturdy yet breathable sandals designed for traversing the sandy terrain. To plete her look, a wide-brimmed, lightning bolt-patterned hat provided shade.

  Risebelle’s outfit embraced the soothing essence of water. Her flowing aqua blue robe fluttered in the desert breeze. She wore fortable sandals that allowed her to move gracefully there was also a headress adorned with blue gems.

  Runebelle donned a loose, earth-toned dress with patterns resembling leaves and vines. A wide-brimmed hat shielded her from the sun’s harsh rays, and fortable walking shoes ensured she could move freely. She also had green gems patterned along her outfit.

  Kintovar and Haras stepped out onto the sun-dreform, still their b coats and uniforms, which seemed rather out of p the scorg South Jancito.

  “Won’t you two be incredibly hot in those b coats and uniforms?” Roselle asked.

  Kintovar replied, “Don’t worry, I’ve taken care of that. What you should look at are those” She gestured to intricate crystal-like pendant hanging from the neck of their clothing.

  Each pendant was a work of art that seemed to glow in the sunlight. Kintovar expined, “These pendants aren’t just for decoration. They’re attuo each of your individual preferences and personalities – Risebelle’s, Roselle’s, and Runebelle’s.”

  Kintovar tinued, “They will not only keep you cool in this heat but also enhance your e with each other. These pendants will allow you to know when one of you is in danger, at all times. It’s a safety measure, especially if you ever get separated. Haras made those herself.”

  Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle now uood Haras’s peculiar behavior back at the station.

  Roselle looked at Kintovar and Haras, her eyes filled with gratitude. “Thank you, Kintovar, Haras, for everything. These pendants are amazing, and we really appreciate the care you’ve taken for us.”

  Runebelle nodded in agreement. She spoke softly, “Yes, thank you. We’ll be even closer as a team now.”

  Risebelle surprised everyoh a shy smile. “Thank you,” she murmured. Her cheeks were tinged with a faint blush. Haras immediately ed Risebelle in her arms and pressed against her face. “You’re so adorable, Risebelle!” Risebelle blinked in surprise but couldn’t hide the small smile that graced her lip. Risebelle let out a long sigh within her mind. “Just what did those two do to me,” she thought.

  The group explored the desert town. Soon after moving ahead, the woman with violet hair had vanished from sight, leaving them to wonder about her iions.

  Kintovar observed their surroundings and ented, “This pce doesn’t seem very ‘teical.’ It’s a far cry from what I’m used to in terms of teology and industrialization...”

  The streets were narrow and winding, and the architecture redominantly adobe-style buildings. People in loose, flowing clothi about their daily lives.

  Risebelle spoke up, “It might not be high-tech, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t hiddes here. Let’s explore carefully.”

  While going down deeper into the South Jancito town, the group found themselves amidst the byrinthireets lined with traditional adobe-style buildings; however, the buildings seemed to go on forever, and there was an air of timelesso this part of the town.

  Yet, when they went down peared to be a neverending path at first ghe winding, traditional streets began to give way to more moderructures. Gss and steel emerged amidst the whitewashed adobe, creating a fasating fusion of old and new.

  Kintovar’s eyes lit up with excitement when she saw the modern buildings. “Now this is more like it,” she said, her enthusiasm evident. “I romised access to industrial and teological knowledge upon ing here, and it seems we’ve reached the area where I might find what I’m looking for.”

  The group tiheir exploration of the town, ing across a variety of buildings. They soon stumbled upon a rge, dipidated teology building. Kintovar examihe run-down structure and shook her head in disappoi.

  The group would soon e across another broken-down building. It appeared to have been abandoned and fallen into disrepair. However, they soon noticed that this wasn’t an isoted case. Down the road, there were many more such buildings in various states of abando and decay.

  Kintovar observed the ed teology structures with disapoi. She remarked, “It’s a shame to see so many panies go of business. These buildings hold the remnants of teological knowledge that could have been valuable, a, it looks like this society discarded it for ‘magic’.”

  Kintovar stood in front of the group, her shoulders slumped in frustration. “So far, all I’ve entered is pure and utter disappoi. I romised industrial and teological marvels, but all I see are abandoned, crumbling buildings. I feel cheated and lied to.”

  Haras interjected with an almost unnervingly cheerful tone. “Oh, e on, Kintovar! There’s still ahousand miles of paths we trek through. The true treasure often lies hidden just beyond the horizon.”

  Kintovar turo Haras with disbelif. “Are you serious? Ahousand miles? You think that’s a reasonable distao cover just for a ce at finding something of value?”

  Haras’s grin didn’t waver. “Absolutely! Adventure and discovery require persistence. You know, it’s not all about finding what’s right in front of you. Sometimes, you’ve got to dig deeper, and who knows what you might find if you keep pushing forward!”

  Kintovar’s face hardened. “You really think this is just a matter of perseverance? I was led to believe South Jancito would offer advaeological insights. This... this is a far cry from what I expected.”

  Risebelle, notig the growing tension, stepped in with a calming tone. “Haras has a point, Kintovar. We should give it a bit more time before making any final judgments. There could be valuable information hidden here, and we’ve only just begun expl.”

  Risebelle, notig the growing tension, stepped in with a calming tone. “Haras has a point, Kintovar. We should give it a bit more time before making any final judgments. There could be valuable information hidden here, and we’ve only just begun expl.”

  Kinthed. “Very well. We’ll tinue our search. Let me at least get our hovercraft ready so we cover mround.”

  With a flick of her wrist, Kintovar activated a small device. It beeped once, and with a soft whirring sound, the hovercraft materialized before them. The craft was designed for quick, effit travel, perfect for traversing the desert ndscape.

  Haras, eyed the hovercraft with i, asked, “Did you get the U.A.G for the vehicles sorted out?”

  Kintovar’s eyes widened in realization. “U.A.G? Oh no... I pletely fot about that.” She paused. Her face fell while mentally reviewing her checklist. “And we’re out of gas.”

  She staggered slightly and hung her hands low. “I didn’t have time to refuel before we left…”

  The group tiheir trek through South Jancito, with Kintovar visibly bummed. Her shoulders slumped, her sungsses perched forlornly atop her head, and her faearly touched the ground in disappoi. The heat of the desert also magnified her frustration.

  Roselle noticed Kintloomy demeanor. She frowned before turning her head to her sisters. “Dr. Kintovar’s really looking sad. We have to find something, anything, to cheer her up.”

  Risebelle raised an eyebrow and muttered, “Good luck with that. We’re in a desert. The only thing we’re likely to find is more sand and more of the same old buildings.”

  Runebelle, though silent, nodded in agreement.

  Roselle moved in front of the group. “We ’t just let her stay like this. There has to be something out here that lift her spirits. Even if it’s a small piece of teology or a building that hints at what used to be here.”

  Risebelle sighed and shook her head. “What are the odds of that happening? The South has abaeology fic, so finding something teological out here seems pretty unlikely.”

  The group tiheir jourhrough the scorg streets of South Jancito. They eventually arrived at a massive structure that seemed to rise out of the desert like a monolithitihe building’s name, “Shadowcroft,” was etched inte, weathered sign at the entrance, and it stood like a monolithitinel in the desert.

  Roselle stammered. She reized the name. “It ’t be... Shadowcroft?”

  Risebell looked visibly uneasy. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and it wasn’t just from the scorg heat. Her knowledge of Shadowcroft seemed to cast a shadow over her usual demeanor.

  Runebelle was taken aback by the sight of the building. She clutched her chest, feeling her heartbeat qui.

  Kintovar, who had seen the name Shadowcroft in her father’s works before, was not surprised. She nodded and remarked, “Shadowcroft. So this pce does exist. My father’s research mentiohis pce. My father’s notes indicated that this pce held a wealth of knowledge reted to industrial and teological advas iy and ce that I should have seeked out, but I never imagi was what we would find in the south. It seems we’ve stumbled upon the heart of South Jancito’s teological heritage.”

  A wide grin spread across Kintovar’s. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “Finally! This is exactly what I’ve been looking for!” She burst into ughter.

  The memories tied to that name flooded the minds of Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle. The weight of these memories was so overwhelming that the three of them dropped to one knee, each clutg their heads as if trying to tain the surge of recolle.

  Kintovar rushed to their side and k beside them. “Are you alright?”

  The group, still rec from the surge of memories, was startled by the sudden appearance of a stist. She had a medium-sized chest that was atuated by her flowing b coat and pink shirt. Her round face was framed by her intricate braids casg down her back. Underh the loose b coat, she wore a pink shirt that covered slightly below her chest. Lastly, she adorned herself with a flowing skirt in the same vibrant hue of pink as her shirt.

  With a warm and knowing smile, the stist approached the group and remarked, “It’s overwhelming, isn’t it? The memories tied to Shadowcroft have a way of flooding one’s sciouso those who have been here before.” She paused, taking in their reas, and then tinued, “My name is Ayana.”

  Upon hearing the name Ayana, a powerful jolt nitio a heartbeat rag through Roselle.

  “Y-You… You’re….!”